Darien’s three Democratic legislators in the General Assembly announced Friday that the town has been awarded $137,500 to buy 1.245 acres of land overlooking Stony Brook on Hecker Ave.
A news release from the state Senate Democrats office mentioned state Sens. Bob Duff and Carlo Leone and state Rep. William Tong, but not Republican state Rep. Terrie Wood, a past president of the Darien Land Trust and founder and first chairman of the Darien Environmental Group.
State Capitol Building in Harttford (picture by jglazer75 on Fickr, via Wikimedia Commons)
The parcel of land is in Wood’s and Leone’s districts, not in Duff’s or Tong’s. All members of the public can use lands bought through this particular state program.
Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the grant and 16 others across the state in a news release Friday. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection runs the grant program.
The grant to the town government is for the smallest parcels among the 17, but not the least expensive.
It was unclear from either news release what role, if any, any of these lawmakers played in any of the decisions to grant funds to buy any of the properties.
Here is the entire news release:
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), Sen. Carlo Leone and Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford) today announced that Darien has been awarded a $137,500 open space grant in order to preserve 1.245 acres overlooking Stony Brook.
The parcel, located along Hecker Avenue, will provide a scenic overlook of the brook and a linkage to a trails system slated to be created between nearby buildings.
“Preserving our open space allows Connecticut to maintain its natural beauty and contributes to our quality of life,” said Sen. Duff who, this past session of the General Assembly, sponsored and led passage of legislation strengthening Connecticut’s open space laws. “Environmental stewardship is about protecting our state’s natural resources. That means clean air, unpolluted waterways and plenty of open space for residents to reconnect with nature.”
“In order to preserve the natural character of Darien, it is important that we continue protecting land around Stony Brook and other areas of the community,” said Senator Carlo Leone. “The grant announced today will allow the Town of Darien to ensure this parcel of land on Hecker Avenue will be free from development so that it may be enjoyed by future generations.”
“This is great news for the people of Darien. I’m very happy that we’re able to preserve this wonderful piece of land while improving access to public services and views along Stony Brook,” said Rep. Tong.
The Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program, administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), assists local governments and land trusts in purchasing open space using funding from the 2005 Community Investment Act and state bond funds.
This grant program requires a conservation and public recreation easement that will ensure that the property is forever protected for public use and enjoyment.
Open space protection projects help Connecticut achieve the goal to protect 673,210 acres of land by 2023. Connecticut has 500,242 acres designated as state or local open space lands, 74.3 percent of the goal.
More than $125 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of 32,237 acres of land in 135 cities and towns.